Over the course of her academic career, Dr. Hawker has established a record of academic excellence in the field of osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes. A predominant theme of her research has been on appropriate use of joint replacement surgery for OA. Her work has been important in elucidating the roles of clinical need, patient preferences, gender and physician bias in determining rates of use of joint replacement. This work has underscored the need for validated criteria to define appropriate use for this surgery, which is the focus of a current CIHR-funded grant (2014-2019). Dr. Hawker has supervised numerous research trainees at the undergraduate, resident, and graduate levels and has served as a member of many academic and governmental advisory committees. Her research collaborations are wide, spanning many countries.
Dr. Hawker has published more than 230 peer reviewed articles and has received a number of honours and awards for her research. These include: the Canadian Rheumatology Association Distinguished Investigator Award in 2011; the Senior Distinguished Research Investigator Award from The Arthritis Society of Canada (2006-2011); the 2001 Medal for Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; the Elizabeth Winston Lanier Kappa Delta Award for Outstanding Orthopaedic Research from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 2002; a Premier’s Research Excellence Award from the Ontario Ministry of Health in 2001. For her continued contributions to osteoarthritis research, Dr. Hawker was honoured, in 2013, by The Arthritis Society of Canada with a Queen’s Jubilee Medal. In 2013, Dr. Hawker was also recognized for her contributions to mentorship with the Department of Medicine’s Robert Hyland Award for Excellence in Mentorship.